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Governor Bill Lee announced on Wednesday Tennessee has been granted an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration, making recovery assistance available to eight counties, including Carter.

“State and local officials, first responders and volunteers continue to provide critical support to impacted Tennessee communities following significant flood damage,” Lee said in a release. “As Tennesseans begin the rebuilding process, I thank our federal partners for granting resources to further our severe weather response and recovery in Northeast Tennessee.”

In addition to Carter, others granted the declaration include Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington. Damage assessments remain in progress and additional requests will inform additional requests to be made to the federal government.

This disaster declaration includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Emergency Work Categories A and B, Individual Assistance, Hazard Mitigation Grant, and Direct Federal Assistance. Individuals in the declared counties can now apply for direct assistance at disasterassistance.gov anytime, or by phone at 1-800-621-3362 between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. CDT. Multilingual operators are available.

Those eligible may receive help with rental assistance, home repair, and personal property replacement, in addition to other uninsured or underinsured disaster losses.

“The devastation caused by this disaster is tragic,” said TEMA Director Patrick C. Sheehan. “The Expedited Major Disaster Declaration is a crucial first step in providing survivors with essential resources. Our focus remains on a survivor-centered response, ensuring that the recovery process is as smooth and supportive as possible for those impacted.”

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) issued a temporary water contact advisory on Wednesday telling the public to avoid all contact with waterbodies affected by the extreme flooding in East Tennessee. The advisory applies to all surface waters in the Nolichucky, French Broad, Pigeon, Doe, and Watauga River watersheds, as well as any other waters affected by the flooding.

As donation efforts continue to ramp up, TEMA has designated Bristol Motor Speedway as the Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief Center. This center will serve as a home base for recovery efforts and a major distribution center in the aftermath of the devastating floods. They will be operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The center does not replace the donation centers established by counties.

As of Wednesday evening, TEMA said there are about 900 reports of power outages statewide, though given that some Northeast Tennessee areas remain isolated that number could be low.

On Sept. 26, Tennessee began to be impacted by heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in most areas of Northeast Tennessee. Due to the extensive precipitation, as of October 2, this weather event has claimed nine lives and left significant damage in Northeast Tennessee. Resources and updates for survivors can be found on the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency website.